Light at the end of the Chunnel

The future of travel to mainland Europe could be about to take a different turn with the train making a play for millions of new passengers.

All aboard: Deutsche Bahn is planning to run direct trains from London’s St Pancras to destinations including Frankfurt and Amsterdam

The number of trains crossing the Channel could double from 2013 thanks to a number of proposed new routes. The plans would mean direct services to major cities and tourist hot spots in Germany, the Netherlands, eastern Europe, France, Italy and Spain becoming a reality.

The Channel Tunnel turns 17 this year and despite traffic growing steadily during that time, it’s still used at only 50 per cent capacity.

‘Unused capacity is a lost opportunity,’ says John Keefe, communications director for Eurotunnel, which manages and operates the 31.4-mile rail link. ‘London to Paris is the biggest market, followed closely by Amsterdam. Brussels is big politically and Frankfurt and Cologne are big financially. There are tourist destinations such as the south of France or the ski resorts. There is also no reason why we can’t go to southern and eastern Europe.’

‘Anyone can operate on any piece of infrastructure across Europe provided they meet technical and safety specs,’ says Keefe. ‘There’s plenty of space, it’s just a case of juggling timetables so everyone gets the slots they want.’

Deutsche Bahn is already keen on a four- to five-hour London to Frankfurt route and has carried out extensive tests, including bringing one service to St Pancras last October. Everything now rests on agreeing with the Intergovernmental Commission (IGC) rules for operating the new trains.

‘We’d like to see this happen as soon as possible and we’re looking at services opening up in 2013,’ says Keefe.

New rail routes will still face stiff competition from competitively priced flights and ferry services, and doubts hang over whether people are prepared to travel by train for longer than four hours. Keefe believes point-to-point city-centre travel and superior environmental credentials make taking the train popular.

‘There is no impact on marine life and we’re not visible on the water,’ he says. ‘We also run on electricity so carbon levels are minute.’

A recent Eurotunnel study in association with the ADEME (the French environment and energy management agency) claims taking the train to Paris emits 100 times less CO2 per passenger compared with flying from Heathrow. This is disputed by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), however. ‘There is a very strong debate which will run and run,’ says a spokesman. ‘You can argue that operating a train from London to Paris produces less CO2 but part of that is being run by nuclear power, which is an issue for some people. You could also debate what carbon is being used to construct and maintain a railway line.’

The IATA says airline efficiency is improving all the time, citing the Airbus A380, which uses less than three litres of fuel per passenger per 100km, and says each new generation of aircraft tends to be 15 to 20 per cent cleaner.

Lufthansa starts a six-month bio-fuel trial on flights between Hamburg and Frankfurt this April. Bio-fuel emits 80 per cent less CO2 compared with fossil fuels over its life cycle. And BA is establishing Europe’s first sustainable jet-fuel plant converting waste materials into aviation fuel, which it hopes will be in use from 2014.

‘The main advantages to air travel are speed and price,’ adds the spokesman. ‘The reasons to travel by train are numerous but thinking you’re being massively greener is not one of them.’

The ferry market, meanwhile, is currently running under capacity, so companies are downsizing fleets and reducing prices to entice passengers. Despite this, P&O will introduce two new maximum-size Dover to Calais ferries this year at a cost of £310million. Both take twice the payload of existing ships for the same amount of fuel used and will operate on low-sulphur fuel oil.

Whether it’s by plane, train, or automobile, the competition for crossing the Channel is gaining momentum. Eurotunnel will be hoping its bid doesn’t hit the buffers.

The Department for Transport refused to comment and the Dover Harbour Board failed to respond to this article.